Again
by kecaswell2001
Summary: Annabeth Chase is in New York, again and looking for a new life. Percy Jackson is trying to find good in a bad situation. But what happens when they meet, again? And what happens when they fall in love again? A/U read For Now before this!
1. Chapter 1

**Hey** **guys! Before you read this, you have to read my other story _For Now_. That's the prequel, so review and give me your thoughts on this!**

* * *

** ANNABETH**

* * *

I sat in the middle of my living room in my new apartment, unpacked boxes were stacked high to the ceiling. I flopped back onto the plush, white, rug and closed my eyes.

I just moved back to New York from San Francisco and I didn't realize how drastic this change was.

I was messed up on my time zones, my mom had to leave town for work, I started work on Monday, and I was alone. Best of all, it was about to be Christmas.

Fun.

So I decided to be productive and start unpacking.

I pulled down a box full of clothes and walked into the bedroom. My bed hadn't been put together yet, it was just a mattress with a a box of blankets and pillows. The headboard and actually bed frame were leaning against the grey walls.

I opened up the closet doors and pulled out my coat hangers. I started hanging up clothes when I heard a knock on the door.

Who would be visiting me? I thought.

So I put down the cardigan I was hanging up and made my way through the boxes and to the door.

There was a man with sandy blond hair and green eyes. He had nice green eyes, just not the green eyes that I loved.

"Hi." I said.

"Hi, I'm Jake Laws, your landlord. Are you Annabeth Chase?" He asked.

"Yes." I said, become aware of the fact that I was wearing sweats and a tank top.

"Good, do you need help unpacking?" He asked, looking at the boxes.

"Yes, that would be awesome." I said and let him in.

He walked in and looked around.

"Where do we start?" He asked.

"I was starting in the bedroom." I told him.

He nodded and we went back to my room, he saw the bed and and we started setting it up.

"So where are you from?" He asked.

"San Francisco." I said.

"I guessed." He said.

I raised an eyebrow.

"You've got blonde hair, a tan, and a great body." He explained.

I looked at him, he just shrugged.

"It's true, pretty girls like you don't move to New York and not catch attention." Jake said.

I felt heat rush to my cheeks.

"I lived in New York a long time ago." I told him.

He nodded then we made small talk until there was only one box unpacked. I looked at my watch. It was 10:00.

"I have to go." I said.

"Okay, me too. See you around." He said as he left.

I actually didn't have anywhere to go, I just needed coffee. So I changed into a pair of skinny jeans and a big green sweater. Then I grabbed my black North Face and house key. I ran down to the elevator and rode down to the lobby. I pulled on my jacket and walked out the doors.

It was bitterly cold. I would have to buy a bigger jacket. It was starting to drizzle so I pulled on my hood.

I spotted a small coffee shop with a neon sign that was flickering.

I ran to the shop and went in. There were big cozy couches and chairs everywhere, an empty podium was on a small stage, a bookshelf was on the furthest wall, a sign advertising free wifi was by the counter. Various pastries were behind the glass, and a girl with short, black hair and electric blue eyes was sitting behind the counter, looking bored.

I walked up to the counter, the girl looked up.

"Can I help you?" She asked.

"Yes please, can I have a medium coffee with cream and sugar?" I asked.

"Decaf?" She asked,

"No." I shook my head.

"Okay, what's the name?" She asked.

"Annabeth." I told her.

She narrowed her darkly lined eyes at me.

"Annabeth Chase?" She asked.

"Yes."

"It's me, Thalia Grace." She said.

"Thalia?"

"Yeah!"

"Oh my God! It's been forever!" I said as I reached across the counter to give her a hug.

"Yeah! What happened to you?" She asked.

"I went to college and I got a job in Sam Francisco." I told her as she began to make my coffee.

"Cool, I've been here." She said.

"Cool." I nodded.

"Yeah, we all missed you so much. Percy especially." She told me.

I felt myself blush. Even after eight years, I never forgot about him. He was the best thing that ever happened to me.

"Well, tell everybody that I say hi." I told her.

I paid for the coffee and left.

Now that I knew for sure he was in New York. I was going to get him back.

* * *

**PERCY**

* * *

All of me and my friends were sitting at Thalia's coffee shop while she was on break.

"So, Perce. You'll never guess who I saw last night at work." Thalia said.

"Cara." I guessed.

Cara was my ex-wife who only married me to have a kid.

"No, better." She said, her eyes were alight.

"Peyton?" I asked.

Peyton was my two year old daughter, she was with Cara now.

Thalia shook her head.

"I give." I said.

"Annabeth!" She exclaimed.

"What?" I asked.

Everybody went silent.

"Yeah, she just moved back." Thalia said.

"And she said hi to everybody." Thalia said.

"Next time you see her give her our numbers!" Piper said.

"Especially mine!" Leo said.

I rolled my eyes at him.

I felt myself smile. Annabeth Chase, I loved her. I always had. I hope she hasn't changed.

The thought of her was what got me through Cara leaving. Annabeth had left, but she was always there for me.

Then my phone rang.

"Just a second guys." I said and answered my phone.

"Mr. Jackson?" Someone asked.

"Yes."

"I am Andrea Peters. Are you the father of Peyton Jackson?" She asked.

"Yes." I told her.

"I need you to come to the St. Andrews hospital. Immediately." She said.

"Why?" I asked nervously.

"Cara and Peyon have been in a car accident, Cara is in surgery right now. Autumn has been asking for you." She said.

I looked at everybody. Piper and Jason were looking at me curiously. Leo was pouring himself some more coffee. Nico was glaring at the wall and Thalia was tapping the table nervously.

"I'll be there soon." I said.

"What's wrong, man?" Jason asked.

"It's Peyton. She and Cara were in a car crash." I told him.

"Oh shit." Leo said.

"Can you guys head back to my place and I'll go get her." I told them.

Then we were all out the door and five minutes I was running into the hospital.

A small nurse was sitting behind a desk and I ran up to her.

"Where is Peyton Jackson?" I asked her.

"Room 217." She said.

I nodded and hurried to the room.

I opened the door and saw Peyton, she had a drip tube in her hand, her eyes were closed, and her black hair was laid around her head like a halo.

"Baby?" I asked.

Her green eyes fluttered open. She looked around the room and focused on me.

"Daddy?" She croaked, her small voice gripped my heart.

"Yes. Thank God you're okay." I said and went up to her and wrapped her in a hug.

"Daddy, it hurst." She said.

"What does?" I asked gently.

"Everyfin. Everyfin hurst." She said and started to cry.

"Baby, don't cry... Please don't cry." I told her.

She looked up at me with her sad eyes.

"Mommy isn't otay." She said.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

She looked at me then the door swung open.

"Mr. Jackson." A doctor said.

"Yes?"

"I need you to come here." He said.

I nodded and gave Peyton a kiss on the head. I walked out and sat down.

"Percy, I'm afraid I have some bad news." The doctor said.

"What is it?" I asked him.

"Cara didn't survive the surgery." He said.

I looked up. Even though Cara hated me and I hated her, I never wanted her to die. She was Peyton's mother for Christ sake!

I buried my head in my hands. What was I going to do.

I needed to see Annabeth.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

* * *

ANNABETH

* * *

I woke up tangled in my big grey comforter. I was wearing my red tank top and green sleep pants.

I rolled out of bed and went over to my mirror, my hair was a mess and I still had on make up from yesterday.

So I went into my bathroom and took a long shower. When I got out, I blow dried my hair and pulled it into a loose ponytail. I put on my forest green sweater, dark wash jeans, and knee high brown riding boots.

Then I went into the kitchen ad realized I had no food. I would have to make a run to the grocery store.

I heard a knock on my door. I walked through the kitchen and the living room. I opened the door and saw Jake. He was smiling.

"Hi Annabeth." He said.

"Hi, what are you doing here?" I asked him.

"Well, I was wondering if you wanted to go out for a drink sometime?" He asked.

I couldn't say no, he would think I was a bitch.

"Sure." I said.

"How's tonight." He asked.

"Perfect!" I agreed a little too energetically.

"Okay. I'll pick you up at 9." He said and left.

Okay, I'm going on a date with some guy I barely know. Perfect, that's just perfect.

I looked out the window, it was snowing. So I went into my bedroom and pulled out my silver coat of my closet.

I should've made my bed, but I didn't care. I just left for Thalia's coffee shop.

When I walked in, the place was quiet. A man was on the stage reading a speech about something spiritual. About ten people were listening and five were on their computers.

I rolled my eyes and walked over to the counter.

"Get a load of this bullshit." Thalia said.

"Doesn't this ever get annoying?" I asked.

"Everyday, but I get twenty dollars every time I let someone read. So it's okay." Thalia shrugged.

"Sounds fine, you could invest in some earbuds." I said.

"Never thought about that. Well, what can I get you?" She asked.

"Think way back to high school." I told her.

"Oh. Just a sec." Thalia said and disappeared.

A minute later she was back with a steaming cup of coffee.

"Here you go, an Annabeth Supreme. On the house." Thalia said.

"Thanks." I said and dropped a ten in the tip jar.

"Wait a second!" Thalia said and pulled a folded up piece of paper from her apron pocket.

"Here you go, everyone said to shoot them a text or give 'em a call." She said.

"Okay, well bye Thalia!" I told her.

Then I left and went to a small store called The Great Outdoorsman. I walked in and I smelled pine trees. Jackets, sweatshirts, flannel, and warm leggings were hanging on the walls in one room, then there was a room full of hiking boots, backpacks, and purses. There was a glass display case pushed against one wall that held knives and daggers. Various camping products were either hanging in the room of jackets and flannel or on shelves. Several catalogs of weapons and campers were strewn across the counter.

I took another look around and smiled. This place was simple and I loved it.

"Can I help you?" Someone asked me.

"Yes please. I was wondering if you could recommend a few jackets good for the winter?" I asked.

Then a head popped up. A girl with brown hair and warm eyes, wearing an oversized red and green flannel shirt, dark blue jeans, and brown hiking boots. She smiled at me.

"Hi, I'm Calypso! The warmest jacket of the winter would be our Patagonia heat-gear. They're on sale... 40% off! Oh and they come in all sorts of materials! They're the best!" She said.

"Cool, I was just going to look for a jacket to keep me warm. It's not near this cold in California." I said.

Calypso's head snapped up and she looked at me.

"Does your name happen to be Annabeth?" She asked.

"Yeah, why?" I asked.

"Oh my god! My boyfriend is Leo Valdez! He came home last night talking about how you came back and how happy Percy was." Calypso explained.

"Really?" I asked.

"Yeah, I guess he never really got over you. Even though he got married to that Cara girl." She said it like the name was poison on her tongue.

"Oh." I said as I put three jackets on the desk.

"But I bet you know all about that drama. That'll be $114.55." She said.

I frowned and handed her my debit card. What drama?Then she gave it back and handed me my card.

"See you later!" She called.

And I left the store. Crestfallen.

* * *

PERCY

* * *

I took Peyton back to my apartment the next morning. There was an unsettling silence between us.

"Why did Mommy have to go? She caint be ded, she just caint!" She cried.

I sighed and looked at her through the mirror.

"Baby, I don't know." I said.

Then Peyton looked at me with her piercing green eyes.

"Daddy, please don't die. You all that I has." She said.

My heart melted like butter.

"I won't." I told her.

"Pormise. Pormise me." She commanded.

I looked her in the eyes.

"I promise." I swore and crossed my heart.

She nodded and looked out of the window. Then we rode the rest of the way in silence.

Peyton fell asleep before we got to my apartment. I pulled into my parking spot and gently lifted her out and walked up to my building. It wasn't an apartment complex, but it wasn't a house. It was just an apartment squished between more apartments.

I walked up to my front door and bumped it a few times with my shoulder, then the door opened and Piper's face was there.

"I'll take her." She whispered.

I nodded and handed Peyton over. Piper smiled a sympathetic smile and took Peyton up to her room.

I exhaled loudly and plopped down on my couch. Jason and Leo were sitting there.

Jason handed me a cup of coffee and a thought crossed his face.

"Let's go out tonight." He suggested.

"What?" I asked.

"C'mon Percy! Let's go grab a beer tonight. You need it." Leo said.

I shook my head, and Leo looked at me with puppy eyes.

"Come on, Perce!" Jason said.

"Fine." I gave in.

"Yeah!" Leo said.

"Let's go to Maramoa's Lounge." Jason said.

"Fancy." Piper said as she walked in.

"Why so fancy? Can't we just go to a sports bar?" I whined.

"No. Percy, we're gonna get some good drinks and find you a nice girl. Not a hooker." Jason said.

"I don't know, Jason. Perce looks like he needs a hooker." Leo joked.

Piper pinched him, hard enough to make yelp.

"Bad Leo." She said.

I laughed. They were the best friends a guy could have.

"Hey Piper, could you watch Peyton tonight? You can stay in the guest room. Or you could take her to yours and Jason's apartment." I said.

"I'll just stay here. I don't really want to do the laundry, and that's what going home would mean." She said.

"You could hire a maid." I said.

"Nope, not going to live in that luxury." Piper said.

I rolled my eyes.

"What about me?" Jason whined.

"Jason, I think you guys won't be home until morning." She said.

"Probably." Leo said.

"Okay." Jason said.

"I'm gonna go make brunch, how about waffles?" She asked.

"Sounds good." Jason said.

Piper nodded and went to the kitchen. There was a loud knock on my front door.

I got up and walked to the door. I opened it and Thalia's face appeared.

"Percy!" She said and walked over to the couch.

"Yes, come in." I said sarcastically.

"Percy! You have to make your move!" She said as she grabbed Jason's water.

"What?" I asked.

"On Annabeth! Some guy came into my coffee shop today all happy. He and his friend were talking about him going out with a new girl in his building that's blonde tonight." She said.

"That doesn't meant that it's Annabeth." I said defensively.

"But the fact that he said: Her name is Annabeth Chase. Makes it her." Thalia said.

Everything was awkwardly silent.

"Whatever. I'm going to my office." I said and walked to my office.

I walked over to my computer and opened up the Internet. I pulled up google and type in: Annabeth Chase. A few seconds later, hundreds of pages popped up. I clicked on the first one. I started to read

'_Annabeth Chase is the twenty-five year old architect that has taken the world by storm. She spent less than a year in the cube farm before making herself the VP of America's Board of Architecture.'_

There was a picture of Annabeth wearing a tight, dark blue dress and standing in front of a huge building, her arms folded:

'_This sexy, ball busting, no-nonsense darling moved to New York, very recently, to be closer to her boss. Of course she's not always this hard-ass business woman we always think she is. She recently broke up with boyfriend of five years, and major celebrity, Luke Castellan. When the press asked her why the star couple she said. "Luke and I just felt like things weren't working out anymore. He and I have grown apart." But when Castellan was asked, he responded with. "Annabeth just didn't want to settle down and start a family yet, she wanted to live and be free. I wanted to start a family, so we realized that we weren't right for each other." So, is that the whole truth behind the massive break-up. Why did our favorite power couple spilt?' _

There was a picture of Annabeth and some blonde guy eating dinner in a fancy restaurant.

I went back to the google page and clicked on the second link.

It was a picture of Annabeth siting in the airport waiting on her plane. She was wearing a grey sundress and was playing on her phone.

_'Annabeth Chase, 25, is seen leaving San Francisco on a plane to New York several days after her breakup with actor and major celebrity hottie, Luke Castellan. Why would she be leaving California and going to the other side of the country? Is she starting new? Is she running away from Luke? Why doesn't anybody know?' _

Oh my God, Annabeth and Luke Castellan were an item. A pretty big one at that. How could I not have known? I didn't pay attention to that type of gossip. I got up and walked to my kitchen. Piper was pulling waffles off the iron.

"Hey." She said and pulled some fruit put of the fridge.

"Can I ask you something?" I asked.

"Yeah." She said and started making plates, her back was to me.

"Did you know that Annabeth was dating Luke Castellan?"

She cringed and turned to face me.

"You found out?" She asked.

"Obviously." I said.

"Yeah, I knew. So did ever other girl in America. They were the power couple that everybody wanted to be like." She said.

"Did your dad meet them?" I asked.

Piper frowned, she hated to be thought of as Tristan McLean's kid. She grew up with her dad, but moved to live with her mom in freshman year. She still hasn't fully got rid of the paparazzi. Her and Jason's wedding was crowded. Even though she didn't invite more that 100 people.

"Yeah." She said.

"Why didn't you tell me?" I asked.

"Perce, cause I knew this would be your reaction." She said and walked out with the plates.

* * *

ANNABETH

* * *

It was 8:45 and I had just finished getting ready. I was wearing a black pencil skirt that went to below my knees, a white blouse, and my very favorite pair of white Christian Louboutin's.

I was wearing red lipstick and mascara. That was it. I didn't want Jake to think that I was gonna go home with him.

I was Annabeth Chase for God's sake. I was the kick ass, ball-busting, woman of the year. I wasn't going to just meet a guy and let him take me to bed. Hell no.

Fifteen minutes later there was a knock on my door. I walked over and opened it. Jake was standing there, he was wearing a green shirt. It wasn't Percy green, but it was okay.

"Annabeth! You look amazing." He said.

"Thanks, you too." I said, even though he looked like normal Jake.

"Thanks. So we're going to Maramoa's Lounge." He said.

What was that?

"Cool." I said.

"You have no idea what that is do you?" He asked.

"No." I laughed and shook my head.

"It's a fancy bar, not a sports bar, but like a lounge." He explained.

"Okay." I said.

Then he offered me his arm. I took it reluctantly, but I smiled. We walked down to the elevator and out the front door. He hailed a cab and we got in.

"Where to?" The cabbie asked.

"Maramoa's Lounge." Jake said.

"Ooh, fancy." He said in a gravelly voice.

Jake just nodded, and five minutes later we were in front of a fancy bar with dark purple and dark blue lights.

"Welcome to the one of fanciest lounges in New York!" He said.

"Cool." I said.

Then he opened up the shiny black door and we walked in. The outside was all dark colors. The inside had white walls, purple and blue couches, a shiny obsidian bar, and black sparkly doors. I looked around. It was roomy and comfortable. It was really fancy. The bartender and waiters were wearing black ties, slacks, and white dress shirts. The waitresses were wearing black skirts, white shirts, and black ties.

Jake and I went over to one of the couches. We sat down on the black one. A second later a waiter came over.

"Can I help you?" He asked.

"Yeah. I'll have a Dos Equis." Jake said.

The waiter nodded and looked at me.

"I'll have your best white wine." I said.

The waiter nodded and hurried away.

"So, Annabeth Chase, the hard-ass architect." Jake said.

Ugh.

"Yeah. But I guess you know everything about me, so tell me about you." I said.

"Actually, I only know about your architecture career." He said.

I narrowed my eyes at him. He was lying. He was reeking of dishonesty. He looked genuinely concerned, but his eyes said it all. They were pale green and looked like they thought they new everything. Jake was also biting his lip. That was his tell for lying.

"Really?" I asked.

"Well, not only. I also know a little bit about you dating Luke Castellan and the breakup that rocked the nation." He said.

Internally I rolled my eyes. Then the waiter came over and handed us our drinks.

"Thanks." I said and took a sip of my wine.

Jake took a long swig off of his beer and looked me up and down.

Then we just listened to the music for an hour and he had two beers. I had a glass of wine and I converted to a margarita. Then we just talked a little for a while, he said some funny things that made me laugh. I said some things that made him bust out in laughter. By then he had three more beers.

"You know what?" He asked sluggishly.

"What?" I asked him.

"I am the luckiest guy in the world right now." He said, his eyes were dull and his words were log and drawn out.

"Are you?" I asked.

"Yeah, I'm in a nice bar with you and I think we're going to have some fun." Jake said.

"Jake, you know I just got out of a relationship. A pretty big one. I think it would be better if we're just friends." I said.

"No." He mumbled.

I pulled the beer bottle from his hand.

"Jake, you're really nice. But you should stop with the beer-" I was cut off.

Jake lunged forward and planted a kiss on my lips. He grabbed my hips to face him. He smelled like alcohol and desperation.

So I did what any self-respecting, strong, independent woman would do. I kneed him in the family jewels. He let out a scream and crumpled to the floor. Everyone's head snapped around to face me.

I slapped a twenty on the table, grabbed my jacket, and started walking out.

That was when I saw the green eyes.

* * *

PERCY

* * *

Jason, Leo, and I got to Maramoa's around 9:30. We walked in and sat down at the bar.

We all got beers and I started to relax. We cracked jokes and started talking about stuff for about thirty minutes.

"Guys. I'm glad that we got to come here. So thanks Percy for deciding to get off your lazy ass and come with us." Leo said.

"Thanks." I said sarcastically.

"No problem bro." He said.

"Okay, so Percy. See any girls?" Jason asked.

I rolled my eyes.

"Why can't didn't we go to a sports bar?" I whined.

"Because, here there is a difference between a lawyer and a doctor. In a sports bar that you would take us to there is a difference between a twenty dollar hooker and a thirty dollar hooker." Leo said.

Jason elbowed him pretty hard. Then his eyes got really wide.

A scream came from behind me.

"Holy shit." He said.

"What?" I asked, turning to see what we was looking at.

It was a blonde girl who looked really offended. A man was crumpling to the floor beside her. She started walking to the exit.

I took a good look at the girl as she walked by. She was tan, pretty, she had a great body, goddamn. Her steps were violent and she had gorgeous, storming, grey eyes that swept over the room before she left.

It was Annabeth.

"Guys, that's Annabeth." I said.

"Damn. That girl's got some force." Leo said and jumped up.

I jumped up and started heading toward the door.

"Where are you going?" Jason asked.

I ignored him and headed outside.

Annabeth was ahead of me, her hair was flying behind her and she was putting on her jacket.

"Annabeth!" I called out.

She stopped talking and turned slowly. Her head was tilted to the side. Her eyes were confused.

"Percy?" She asked.

I nodded.

She smiled, a beautiful smile that filled her face, making her shine. She started walking towards me, then I started walking toward her.

When we met in the middle, there was an inch of space between us. I looked down at her.

"God I missed you." I said.

"I missed you more." She said.

"Not possible." I said and wrapped my arms around her.

Her shoulders started shaking. I realized she was crying, I tightened my arms around her.

"Do you wanna go on a walk?" I asked.

She nodded, but she looked like she wanted to say something.

"Let's go." I said.

A few minutes later we were at a small park. We sat down on a bench.

"Percy..." She started.

"Annabeth, I missed you so much." I said.

"Percy..." She said.

"Oh my god. I missed you so so so much." I continued.

"Percy! Let me talk!" She said.

"Okay." I said quietly.

"Percy, look. I missed you too. But what about your wife?" She asked.

I raised an eyebrow.

"Cara. Yes Percy, I know about her." She said.

"Annabeth. Cara died yesterday." I told her.

A look of sympathy settled on her face.

"Percy, I'm so sorry." She said and laid her hand on my arm.

"Don't be." I said.

"What?" She asked.

"Don't be sorry. Cara and I were divorced two years ago. She just wanted to have a baby. She left when she got what she wanted." I told Annabeth.

"You have a baby?" She asked.

"Yeah, a little girl." I said.

"Oh." Annabeth said quietly.

I just nodded.

"Does she look like you?" Annabeth asked.

"Exactly." I said.

Annabeth smiled and buried her head in my chest.

"I missed you. So much." She said.

"I know. I missed you too." I said.

Then we spent the rest of the night talking. We exchanged numbers and both went home.

That night as I lay in my bed, all I could think about was Annabeth. Just Annabeth.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

**Okay, so I was asked if they are demigods. No, they're not. This is A/U. Which means Alternate Universe. So they aren't demigods.**

**PERCY**

It was Saturday morning, the morning after I met Annabeth, and Peyton had got in my bed while I was sleeping.

I felt her tiny hands pull my eyes open.

"Daddy." She whispered loudly.

"What?" I complained.

"Your breaf stinks." She said and waved her hand in front of her nose.

I grabbed her and breathed in her face and started tickling her. Peyton squealed loudly and tried to push away.

"Daddy!" She screamed.

I stopped tickling her and looked at her.

"What?" I asked.

"Some girl was at de door, and so I told Aunt Piper to let her in." Peyton said.

I sat up and looked at her; she was wearing a Little Mermaid nightgown from Cara.

"What?" I asked her.

"She said she was from sea pea ex... or somefin like that." Peyton said.

"CPS?" I asked.

"Yes." Peyton nodded.

I jumped out of bed and put on a shirt. One second later I was in the living room. There was a lady with black eyes, a hawklike nose, brown hair tied back in a tight bun, a black pantsuit, and a black binder.

"Hello Mr. Jackson. I'm Irene Irvine, Peyton's personal CPS officer. I am going to be dropping in from time to time to check on you two." She said.

"Why?" I asked her.

"Well, because of the fact that you are a young male, and not the most responsible person. And as I understand, Peyton stayed with you on the weekend and Cara during the week." Irene said.

"Yes." I answered.

"Peyton will be staying with you during the week and Cara's parents on the weekends until further notices." She said as she looked at a page in her binder.

I raised an eyebrow.

"It's just for a month. Don't worry. Oh and Peyton has to be at her grandparents house by ten." Irene closed her binder.

"Okay, sorry about me not answering the door... I was meeting some friends last night and I got back pretty late." I explained.

"Yes, was the woman who answered the door your fiancé or girlfriend?" I asked.

"No, that was my friend. Peyton's 'aunt'." I said.

"Oh, so you're single?" Irene asked as she looked me up and down and bit her lip.

"Yes." I said as I crossed my arms around my chest.

"Cool." She said.

Then she slipped me her card.

"Call me." She winked and walked out the door.

I shuddered and went back to my room. I put on real clothes and walked in the kitchen. Piper was sitting on the floor with Peyton, they were reading a book. Piper looked at me and smiled. She stood up.

"I think you can take it from here." Piper said, grabbed her jacket and keys, and left.

"Hey baby." I said and picked Peyton up.

"Hay is for horsies!" She giggled.

"You're right." I laughed.

She was my favorite person in the world. She was only two, and she was talking perfectly. She made my heart melt.

"What do you need, Daddy?" She asked.

"Let's pack a bag. You get to go to Pappy and Nana's!" I said.

A look of horror dawned on her small face.

"No! They smell bad! And they say bad things about you!" She said.

"What?" I raised my eyebrows.

"They say that you didn't want me, that's why after you and mommy stopped living together that I only saw you on the weekends." Peyton said.

I raised my eyebrows even higher.

"But I know you love me more than mommy did." Peyton said.

I smiled at her and she smiled back, then she put her hands on my eyebrows and pushed down.

"Your eyebrows are trying to leave your face!" She giggled.

I laughed at her. Then we wet and packed her a bag, got in the car, jammed out to some Disney princess music, and dropped her off at her grandparents. Then I went to Thalia's coffee shop.

I walked in the door and saw Annabeth. She was talking on her phone with someone, she seemed irritated. I decided not to bother her.

If there is one thing that I remember from high school is not to mess with Annabeth when she was irritated.

Annabeth saw me and waved, she gave a light smile and went back to her tense conversation.

I offered a smile and went up to the counter. Thalia smiled at me and then held up a cup.

"Annie!" Thalia said and waved the cup.

Annabeth glared at Thalia and grabbed the cup. Annabeth left the coffee shoppe in a storm.

"What's her deal?" I asked.

"Something about her ex-boyfriend." Thalia said in a taunting tone.

"Oh, juicy gossip." I said in a sassy tone.

Thalia smiled.

"Something about Luke wanting Annabeth to forgive him and come back to back and finish what they started. There was also something about a baby." Thalia said.

Baby? A baby?

"How did you hear all of this?" I asked her.

Thalia bit her lip.

"I may or may not have a universal remote from radio shack. And I may or may not have connected Annabeth's phone to my bluetooth." She said innocently.

"You're bad." I said.

"I know. Now order something." Thalia said.

"Okay, I'll have the usual." I said.

"Okay, give me a second." She said and went behind the counter.

I put some money on the counter and went to sit on the big couch. I felt something poke into my side. I reached down to grab it. It was a gossip magazine.

On the cover it had a picture of Annabeth and Luke.

Annabeth was wearing a long white dress that had black lace covering her chest. Her hair looked like a waterfall of golden sunlight. She was smiling so brightly like there wasn't anything on earth that could ruin her mood.

Luke was looking at Annabeth like she was the best thing on earth... But it was true. Annabeth was the best.

Then I looked at the title.

The Break Up That Shocked The Country.

I flipped open the magazine and turned to the article.

Annabeth Chase and Luke Castellan were America's favorite couple, but the said reasons for the split weren't adding up.

Our research team looked through all of the interviews of the two an found this.

Perrie: Have you two been considering starting a family?

Annabeth: Actually we have, but our careers just took off, so we're going to wait a year.

Luke: We can't wait for things to settle down, so we can settle down too.

Perrie: There you have it folks, lets get ready for some beautiful babies.

So things aren't exactly as they seem with these two.

I shut the magazine and set it on the table.

"Percy! Your coffee is ready!" Thalia said.

I stood up and went to retrieve my cup.

"I see you found the magazine." She said.

"Oh my god, Thalia. Stop." I said.

"Nope. Well, enjoy your day!" Thalia said tauntingly as I left.

"You too." I said sarcastically and walked out the door.


	4. Chapter 4

**SUPER IMPORTANT! PLEASE READ! **

Hey guys. I have been so stressed out lately that I haven't been able to do anything but homework and practice for my future job and focus on my GPA.

I have writers block and I can't do anything about it. I've tried everything. Bu t I have no inspiration.

I've been getting major headaches 3-7 times a day. And I'm going in for an MRI on my brain tomorrow. Don't worry about me, I've been taking medicine to help and I'm getting better.

So I just wanted to let you guys know the status's of my stories.

Demigods Witches and Wizards... OH MY!- next chapter should be up very soon, like in the next few days

Again- working on it very hard and trying to get it done

The Notebooks- UP FOR ADOPTION! If you're interested, please PM me.

SYOC- in the works, the first chapter is almost finished! And I'm very excited.

So please bear with me while I try to finish and get better. I just hope that the meds I'm taking and will start to take won't make my thoughts foggy. Because it's so hard to write this way.


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